explaining_errors_in_star_trekfandomcom-20200215-history
Cathexis
'' |image= |series= |production= |producer(s)= |story=Brannon Braga Joe Menosky |script=Brannon Braga |director=Kim Friedman |imdbref=tt0708863 |guests=Michael Cumpsty as Lord Burleigh, Brian Markinson as Lt. Peter Durst and Carolyn Seymour as Mrs. Templeton |previous_production=Heroes and Demons |next_production=Faces |episode=VGR S01E13 |airdate=1 May 1995 |previous_release=(VGR) Heroes and Demons (Overall) Improbable Cause |next_release=(VGR) Faces (Overall) The Die is Cast |story_date(s)=48734.2-48735.9 (2371) |previous_story=Improbable Cause |next_story=The Die is Cast }} Summary An assault on a shuttlecraft manned by Tuvok and Chakotay leaves both men injured and Chakotay apparently brain-dead. The Doctor explains that something has drained all the bio-neural energy from the first officer's brain. The prognosis looks grim, but Torres places a Native American medical wheel near Chakotay's bed, in the hopes that it will help her friend "find his way home" from his illness. After Tuvok recovers, he reveals that they were attacked by an unidentified ship that emerged from a dark matter nebula. Janeway orders Voyager to head back to the nebula to investigate, but before they reach it, the ship changes course. The navigational computer implicates Paris, but he denies having made the change. A short time later, Torres initiates a warp core shutdown, but like Paris, she can't remember instigating the actions. When the Doctor examines the pair, he discovers that a strange brainwave pattern was superimposed on them during the tampering incidents — which could mean that an alien entity momentarily seized control of their minds. As a precaution, Janeway transfers the ship's command codes to a non-organic source: the Doctor. When Kes tells Janeway that she has been "sensing" an alien presence on the ship, Tuvok suggests that he perform a mind-meld with the Ocampan to help her focus her telepathic abilities. But a short time later, the two are found unconscious, the result of an energy discharge similar to the one that hit the shuttle, according to Tuvok. A short time later, someone disables the Doctor's program. With him out of the picture, the command codes revert to Janeway, who decides to divide them between herself and Tuvok. The unseen force tries to take over Janeway, but the crew incapacitates her. It jumps to Kim, and then Lieutenant Durst, before Tuvok finally stuns everyone on the bridge. A series of clues turns up in quick succession, all of which imply that Tuvok has been lying to the crew. There was no ship in the nebula, and Kes' injury now appears to have been the result of a Vulcan nerve pinch. Under increasing suspicion, Tuvok takes over command of the ship and orders it into the nebula, where he says the Komar — others of his kind — await. But before they can get there, something makes Torres eject the ship's warp core. Since they now know that Tuvok, under the control of the Komar, has been trying to bring them all to the nebula all along, who has been acting against him, trying to keep Voyager out? All signs seem to indicate that it is Chakotay. Realizing that the Komar want to extract their collective neural energy, the crew manages to overpower the Vulcan at last. The lifeform leaves his body to join the others of its kind in the nebula. Voyager's crew needs to leave the area, but since the possessed Tuvok plotted the course in, they are uncertain how to get out of the nebula. Down in Sickbay, Neelix is suddenly compelled to rearrange the markers on Chakotay's medicine wheel. Janeway realizes that it is a message from her first officer, a map showing them the correct course. They escape from the nebula just in time. Later, the Doctor finds a way to reintegrate Chakotay's displaced neural energy with his body and he revives at last, pleased that he was able to help protect the crew, despite his disembodied condition. Errors and Explanations Internet Movie Database Plot holes # When analyzing the "alien" brainwave that was superimposed on other crew member's brain patterns, the Doctor says that it has an unusual energy signature, which he has never seen before. As established later, this new brainwave actually belonged to Chakotay. It would be rather strange that the Doctor would not have Chakotay's medical data on file and recognize his brain pattern instantly. The changes could be due to the brain-wave pattern existing outside Chakotay’s brain. Nit Central # Keith Alan Morgan on Friday, April 23, 1999 - 7:47 am: I've never completely understood the thrill of taking part in a holonovel. If you read a real novel you can be any character you want, or even all of the characters if you want, but in a holonovel you are restricted to just the one character and you have to remember what the character's line are and what they do at any point in the story. It would be like doing a play without an audience or any other actors. I suppose a person might try doing something different, but I would think that they would be fighting the computer all the way since the computer would be trying to get the person back to the story as written.Mike Konczewski on Monday, April 26, 1999 - 2:14 pm: I guess it depends on the person. Janeway, Data, and Piccard like to act out the story in character, while Paris, Worf, and Bashir like a general story that allows them to improvise. Also, you have to remember that a holonovel is very forgiving. Notice how "Beowulf" didn't come to a halt when the Doctor entered the program, but adapted to his actions within the structure of the story. Ditto the Dixon Hill stories. # When reading the ship's heading, Paris says, "One-twenty-one mark six." Shouldn't he say 'One-two-one mark six'? Tom doesn't always stick to the rules! # Ejecting the warp core requires a command level code? I suppose you don't want it to be so easy that just anyone can do it, but shouldn't the Chief Engineer have that authority? What if Janeway and Chakotay were off the ship, or dead or unconscious and B'Elanna needed to eject the warp core? Would she just yell, "Abandon ship!"? Apparently someone realized that between this episode and Day of Honor that the Chief Engineer should have this ability because I believe B'Elanna did eject the warp core in that episode. Richie Vest on Friday, April 23, 1999 - 10:31 am: I believe to eject the core it required two command level officers. B'Elanna and Chakotay Seniram 12:39, December 14, 2017 (UTC) Perhaps her command authorisations were temporarily restricted after the Sikarian trajector unit incident in Prime Factors? Mcb359 on Friday, July 13, 2018 - 17:07 If Janeway and Chakotay were unavailable as suggested, then the “command level authorisation” needed would fall to Tuvok and presumably Paris as acting Captain and first officer, so there’d Always be someone in command position and the computer would upgrade and downgrade permissions as required. Anyway, Torres apparently does get given this authorisation by “Day of Honor” as she ejects the core by herself. Category:Episodes Category:Voyager